The smoke of battle had faded, but the air in Tempest remained heavy with unease. The corpses of the assassins had long since dissolved into mist, leaving no trace of who–or what–they truly were. But their words lingered in the minds of those who had heard them: "Light must always cast shadows… and we are those shadows."
Rimuru sat in his council chamber, his ceremonial robe laid aside for the first time in days. Instead, he wore a simple black tunic, a katana resting across his lap. Around him, his trusted companions gathered: Benimaru, Souei, Shuna, Shion, Diablo, Luminous, and Hinata.
A hush settled as he finally broke the silence. "They weren't here to kill me. They were scouts–eyes and ears for something worse. You all know it."
Benimaru's fist slammed against the obsidian table, his crimson hair flaring with his temper. "Then let me hunt them down, Rimuru-sama! Let me show them Tempest's fire!"
Souei shook his head, arms folded in calm disapproval. "Their trail is not one that mortals can follow. "They slipped into the void itself. My shadows cannot chase them."
Diablo smiled, his eyes glinting dangerously. "But my lord… if you would permit me, I can reach into the depths where shadows are born. A single whisper in the abyss, and their secrets will unravel."
Rimuru sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Not yet. If they're baiting us, I won't take it. We need to play smarter."
Luminous leaned forward, resting her chin on her interlaced fingers. "You're right, Rimuru. These are not mere cultists. This reeks of something far older–older even than my kind. If they are what I suspect…" Her mismatched eyes glimmered with unease." …then the world has forgotten what true terror is."
Hinata's voice cut through, firm and direct. "Then we remind them. Whatever they are, whatever their strength, they bleed like all others. And if they threaten humanity–or this kingdom–I'll cut them down."
Rimuru smiled faintly, though his gaze hardened. "That's what I like about you, Hinata. No hesitation."
Preparing for the Storm
Word spread quickly throughout Tempest, not of fear, but of vigilance. Guards doubled their patrols, merchants armed themselves, and adventurers swore oaths of loyalty to defend the nation. The city, vibrant and alive only days ago, now braced for war.
Walking among them, Rimuru felt both pride and guilt. Pride that his people believed in him so completely. Guilt that their faith would soon be tested against forces far beyond their imagination.
Ceil's calm, steady voice resonated in his mind.
"Master, analysis confirms the assassins were fragments of an external entity. Their existence was sustained by void energy–an energy not of this world."
Rimuru frowned. "Not of this world? You mean… another plane?"
"Affirmative. Probability suggests interdimensional interference. Further data required."
Rimuru muttered under his breath. "So it begins. This isn't just about Tempest anymore. It's bigger."
Shion, ever perceptive of his moods, stepped closer. "Rimuru-sama, are you worried?"
He gave her a small smile. "Worried? Nah. Just… calculating. You know me."
But deep down, even he could not shake the chill.
The Herald Arrives
That night, the winds shifted.
From the eastern horizon, the sky began to ripple unnaturally, as if reality itself had been torn. A crack appeared, glowing crimson, stretching wider until the heavens themselves seemed wounded.
Rimuru stood atop Tempest's outer wall, his katana at his side, Luminous and Hinata beside him. Citizens huddled in the streets below, staring in dread at the unnatural light.
Then, it came.
A figure stepped forth from the rift–towering, cloaked in obsidian armor that pulsed with void runes, Its face was hidden, but its presence alone was suffocating, bending the air around it.
Souei's voice trembled, rare for him. "That… is no mortal."
The figure's voice thundered across the land, resonating not just in the air but within the very minds of those who heard it.
"I am the Herald of the Void. Your light blinds the abyss, Rimuru Tempest. And so, by decree of the nothingness, you shall be unmade."
The soldiers faltered. The air itself seemed to bow beneath the Herald's words.
But Rimuru stepped forward, his silver-blue hair whipping in the void-born, his eyes glowing with the faint spark of Infinity.
"Funny," Rimuru said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Everyone keeps saying they're going to erase me. And yet, here I am. Alive, kicking, and a little annoyed."
The Herald's gaze burned. "You just in the face of annihilation?"
"Always," Rimuru replied simply. His hand rested on his katana. "Because I've already decided–I'm not losing anyone. Not my people. Not my allies. Not this world."
The Clash
The Herald raised a hand, and the ground ruptured as spears of void erupted, tearing through stone and earth. Rimuru answered with a sweep of his arm, summoning the Aegis of Eternity, a barrier that shimmered like glass across dimensions. The void spears shattered against it, their energy dispering harmlessly.
Hinata surged forward, Moonlight gleaming, cutting down the Herald's summoned wraiths in arcs of silver light. Her every strike was precise, cold, and unrelenting.
Luminous's voice rang out, a hymm of divine authority. Glyphs of blood and light spiraled around her as she unleashed a storm of black flame and holy radiance, striking the Herald's minions until the battlefield was awash in fire and ash.
And Rimuru… Rimuru stepped into the storm itself.
Rimuru's Evolution Stirs
With a flick of his wrist, his katana Eternal Void Fang sang, tearing open a rift of pure nothingness that devoured incoming attacks. His Eyes of Infinity locked onto the Herald, tracing probabilities, future, and weaknesses.
"Ceil," he whispered in though. "Show me everything."
"Confirmed. Initiating fusion protocols. Beelzebuth and Eternal are resonating."
For a heartbeat, Rimuru's aura shifted, dark Flames of the abyss entwining with the silence of the void. Power welled inside him, vast and endless, hinting at the birth of something new–Void God: Azathoth.
But it was not yet complete.
The Herald snarled, sensing the shift. " You… you carry the abyss within you! How dare you wield our dominion!"
Rimuru smirked, his katana glowing with a black-blue aura. "Guess I'm just full of surprises."
Their blades met in a thunderclap of energy that shook the heavens. Sparks of void and cosmic flame rained across the battlefield as the Herald and Rimuru clashed, neither giving ground.
The Aftermath & Cliffhanger
The battle raged for hours. Rimuru, Hinata and Luminous fought as one, their synergy carving through endless waves of void-born wraiths. Yet the Herald endured, its obsidian armor unbroken, its void presence unyielding.
Finally, as dawn broke , the Herald withdrew into the fading rift, its voice echoing across Tempest. "You have delayed the inevitable. The abyss does not forget. When next we meet, Tempest shall drown in eternal night."
And then it was gone.
The people cheered, their faith in Rimuru unshaken. But among his allies, unease lingered.
Rimuru stood silently, his katana sheathed, his robe tattered but his eyes alight with determination. Inside, he felt the growing resonance of Beelzebuth and Eternal Null, a power waiting to be claimed.
"Ceil," he whispered.
"Yes, Master?"
"…When the time comes, we'll finish what they started. And I'll make sure this world never falls to the abyss."
The wind carried his words across the land, as if promising hope. But in the shadows beyond the stars, the abyss stirred–watching, waiting, hungering.
The true war had only begun.